Among the new movies that were released Friday, Feb. 28 are a dramedy about a young woman who works at a sex shop, a romantic comedy centered around the National Air Sex Championships and a thriller that takes place 30,000 feet above the ground.
Emma Roberts plays a naive college graduate who believes that she is destined to be a great poet and begrudgingly accepts a job at a sex shop while she pursues a mentorship with a reclusive writer (John Cusack). (R – 97 minutes)
At one point during “Adult World,” the new dramedy’s characters complain about the hardships of a 20-something-year-old – the awkward age of an individual who can no longer be considered a kid but is not quite ready to enter into adulthood. The triviality of the grievance is a great example of the entire flick’s callow outlook. That is to say that while there are scenes of momentary amusement throughout the movie, it is mostly an exercise in petty whining from characters who would never have even the slightest chance of surviving in the real world. As a result, you absolutely refuse to root for any of them – especially star Emma Roberts – to succeed. (Thumbs Down!)
Michael Stahl-David plays a brokenhearted man who flies to Austin for the weekend in hopes of “accidentally” running into his ex-girlfriend (Ashley Bell) only to arrive to find their best friends (Zach Cregger and Sara Paxton) in the middle of their own vicious breakup. (NR – 91 minutes)
Perhaps writer/director Bryan Poyser recognized that the “love” part of “Love & Air Sex” was a bit too conventional and therefore decided to spice things up with the “air sex” part. However, as it turns out, conventional is a whole lot better than tasteless. Granted, the concept of Air Sex World Championships may sound amusing but, if this real sporting event (if you can call it that) is anything like it is portrayed in this motion picture, it is far more moronic than anything. And the good part of this romantic comedy – the conventional yet really relatable part – suffers as a result. (Thumbs Down!)
‘Non-Stop’
Liam Neeson plays an air marshal who springs into action during a transatlantic flight after receiving a series of text messages that put his fellow passengers at risk unless the airline transfers $150 million into an off-shore account. (PG-13 – 110 minutes)
“Non-Stop” is an incredibly intense motion picture. However, as far as thrillers that take place 30,000 feet above the ground go, it flies fairly low. That is to say that while the new Liam Neeson-led actioner gets the job done it does not quite reach the heights of, say, “Red Eye,” “Flightplan” or “Turbulence.” That is because after a spectacularly suspenseful first half, the flick loses a little of its credibility with a few plot holes before eventually throwing all caution to the wind and becoming absolutely ludicrous. Granted, this yields fun and excitement, but it does not exactly jive with the movie’s otherwise somber message about how our skies may not be as secure as some would lead us to believe. (Thumbs Up!)
